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A bipartisan 23-17 vote in the State Senate on Thursday sends legislation dubbed by critics the “fire the teacher bill” to a Senate committee, effectively killing it for the 2012 General Assembly session. House Bill 576 was a cornerstone of the education reform agenda of Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell, who said the legislation would bring…
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Dear EarthTalk: What caused Solyndra, a leading American solar panel maker, to fail last fall and what are the implications for U.S. alternative energy industries? – Walt Bottone, Englewood, N.J. Solyndra was a California-based maker of thin-film solar cells affixed to cylindrical panels that could deliver more energy than conventional flat photovoltaic panels. The company’s…
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U.S. Senate candidate Jamie Radtke has asked the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to launch a formal investigation into abusive actions by the Internal Revenue Service toward Tea Party and Patriot organizations. On Friday, Radtke sent a letter to Congressman Darrell Issa describing IRS actions toward conservative organizations currently seeking…
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Dear EarthTalk: I read that car makers had agreed to up fuel economy standards to an average of about 55 miles per gallon by the year 2025, and that specifics were due to be hammered out by the end of 2011. Did this happen and where do things stand now? — Scott Ellis, Norwalk, CA…
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U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA) announced today in a speech on the Senate floor that he will be voting against the payroll tax cut deal conference report. Transcript Mr. Warner: Mr. President, let me rise today to speak about the conference report that it appears we’ll be voting on tomorrow regarding the issues of…
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Event at Master Lock, Milwaukee, Wisc., Wednesday, Feb. 15 THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Milwaukee! (Applause.) It is good to be back in the great state of Wisconsin. (Applause.) This is the closest I’ve been to home in a while. I was thinking about getting on the 90-94 and just driving down to my house. (Laughter.) Thank…
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Washington and Lee University’s 2012 Mock Republican Convention awarded its nomination to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on Saturday. The Indiana delegation put Romney over the top by awarding all 46 of its delegates to him, touching off a flag-waving celebration in the University’s Warner Center. Following the nomination of Romney, the convention’s tri-chairs announced…
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Her ties to the first family of entertainment are strong but this Disney focuses on brave women in peacebuilding rather than cartoons and children’s films. Abigail Disney, a philanthropist, scholar and award-winning filmmaker, will give the annual commencement address at Eastern Mennonite University 0n Sunday, April 29. “EMU is a remarkable institution, an island of…
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The jobs situation seems to continue to be getting better, with Friday’s announcement that unemployment fell two-tenths of a percent in January, to 8.3 percent. But it’s not getting better fast enough, says Fifth District Republican Congressman Robert Hurt. “A drop in the national unemployment average is always good news. However, the jobless rate remains…
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U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) joined colleagues on both sides of the aisle in passing legislation out of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs to make improvements to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s public transportation programs. The legislation included new safety standards championed by Sen. Warner in the wake of a fatal…
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